Brief Summary
Severance is a show about a company called Lumen that offers a procedure called Severance, which splits a person's consciousness into two separate personalities: one for work and one for life outside of work. The show follows Mark Scout, a former history professor who undergoes Severance to cope with his grief. His innie, the work version of himself, thrives at Lumen, while his outie struggles to deal with the loss of his wife. The show explores the ethical implications of Severance, the power dynamics within Lumen, and the consequences of the procedure on the lives of the employees.
- The show explores the ethical implications of Severance, a procedure that splits a person's consciousness into two separate personalities.
- The show follows Mark Scout, a former history professor who undergoes Severance to cope with his grief.
- The show features a cast of characters who are all affected by the Severance procedure in different ways.
Severance: Season 1 Recap
Severance is a show about a company called Lumen that offers a procedure called Severance, which splits a person's consciousness into two separate personalities: one for work and one for life outside of work. The show follows Mark Scout, a former history professor who undergoes Severance to cope with his grief. His innie, the work version of himself, thrives at Lumen, while his outie struggles to deal with the loss of his wife. The show explores the ethical implications of Severance, the power dynamics within Lumen, and the consequences of the procedure on the lives of the employees.
The Severance Procedure
The Severance procedure is a medical procedure that splits a person's consciousness into two separate personalities. The innie, the work personality, is unaware of the outie, the life outside of work personality. The innie is essentially a separate person who wakes up on a conference room table every day with no memory of their past life. The innie can still reason and converse, but they are a completely separate mental being that stops existing when they punch out of the office.
Lumen and its Employees
Lumen is a massive mega-corporation that employs people who undergo the Severance procedure. The employees work in a sparse and eerie mid-century modern office building, and they are unaware of what they are actually doing for work. They simply switch on their computers, spin their trackballs, and put numbers into a box to earn perks. The employees are unaware of the outside world and are kept isolated from each other.
Mark Scout and his Two Worlds
Mark Scout is the main character of the show. He is a former history professor who lost his wife in a car accident. He undergoes Severance to cope with his grief, but his innie thrives at Lumen while his outie struggles to deal with his loss. Mark's two worlds collide when his innie's best friend, Petey, is reintegrated, meaning his Severance is reversed. Petey tries to tell Mark about the secrets of Lumen, but he dies before he can reveal everything.
Harmony Cobel and the Cult of Kier Egan
Harmony Cobel is Mark's boss and a fanatically devoted follower of Kier Egan, the founder of Lumen. Cobel believes in the company's mission and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect it. She is not severed, so she can spy on Mark outside of work. She poses as his neighbor and eventually becomes his sister's lactation consultant. Cobel is clearly up to something, and she is not above keeping things from Lumen's mysterious board.
Seth Milch and the Severance Floor
Seth Milch is Cobel's number two. He is the supervisor on the severance floor and is responsible for orienting new hires and keeping up morale. Milch is a friendly and charismatic person, but he is also a very scary dude. He is willing to throw any employee who steps out of line into the break room, which is a re-education torture chamber where misbehaving workers are forced to recite Kier Egan's creeds until a lie detector says they can leave.
Helly R and the Rebellion
Helly R is a new hire who is immediately horrified by her new job. She tries to quit, but her outie refuses her resignation. Helly becomes increasingly desperate and even threatens to harm herself, but her outie refuses to let her leave. Helly's rebellious streak slowly begins to catch on with her fellow workers.
Irving and Bert: Forbidden Love
Irving is a severed employee who believes wholeheartedly in Kier Egan's wisdom. He tries to keep his co-workers in line, but he is not above his own transgressions. He falls asleep at his desk and has nightmare visions of black ooze seeping from the ceilings. Irving begins to change when he meets Bert, another severed employee who works in the Optics and Design Department. The two quickly develop feelings for each other, something that is frowned upon by both their bosses and colleagues.
Dylan and the Overtime Contingency
Dylan is a severed employee who prides himself on his performance and boasts about all the amazing perks he receives. He seems to genuinely love his job, but even the promise of more finger traps and deviled eggs isn't enough to keep him from being curious. He starts reading a book written by Mark's brother-in-law, which is full of self-empowerment affirmations. Dylan is horrified to learn that Lumen can switch his personality whenever and wherever they like. This knowledge, along with the fact that he has a young son, pushes him over the edge.
The MDR Gang's Rebellion
The MDR gang, consisting of Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan, begins to explore the halls of Lumen, discovering bizarre rooms and hallways that raise more questions than they answer. They are driven toward rebellion in their own unique ways. Dylan demands to know the name of his son, Irving is devastated when Bert is forced to retire, Helly is determined to take down the company, and Mark just wants answers to the strange feelings he has inside.
Vabi and the Reintegration
Vabi is a former Lumen surgeon who figured out how to reintegrate the severed. She contacts Mark and tells him that she is the only one who can deactivate the Severance chip. Vabi gives Mark a key card and tells him to finish what Petey started.
The Overtime Contingency
The MDR gang breaks into the security room and figures out how to activate the overtime contingency, which allows their inies to reveal Lumen's depravity to the outside world. They then get back to work, busting their butts so they can meet their quarterly quota and earn a waffle party.
The Waffle Party and the Ascension
The waffle party is a bizarre after-hours ritual in the building's perpetuity wing, which is basically a church devoted to the worship of the Egans. Dylan receives the honor of staying behind as the other three MDR employees ascend the elevator, not knowing where or even who they will be when they wake up outside. Before they leave, Mark and Helly share a kiss.
The Repercussions of the Overtime Contingency
The overtime contingency has a profound impact on the lives of the MDR gang. Irving wakes up in his house and learns that his outie is a Navy veteran and artist. Helly finds herself backstage at a Lumen corporate gala, bumping elbows with high-ranking officials and politicians. Mark is shocked to discover that Cobel is at his sister's house, and he comes clean to his sister about everything.
The Season Finale
The season ends with Helly on stage about to expose Lumen's inner workings, Irving at Bert's doorstep heartbroken to see his work crush happily married to another man, and Mark bursting into the crowded party and screaming that Helly is alive. Milch manages to break into the security office and tackles Dylan, immediately ending the overtime contingency and switching his MDR friends back into their outie cells. Despite their time being cut short, the inies managed to get at least part of their message across to the outie world. The season ends with many unanswered questions, leaving viewers eager for season 2.
